Home windows PowerShell now warns when operating Invoke-WebRequest scripts

Microsoft says Home windows PowerShell now warns when operating scripts that use the Invoke-WebRequest cmdlet to obtain internet content material, aiming to stop doubtlessly dangerous code from executing.

As Microsoft explains, this mitigates a high-severity PowerShell distant code execution vulnerability (CVE-2025-54100), which primarily impacts enterprise or IT-managed environments that use PowerShell scripts for automation, since PowerShell scripts should not as generally used outdoors such environments.

The warning has been added to Home windows PowerShell 5.1, the PowerShell model put in by default on Home windows 10 and Home windows 11 programs, and is designed so as to add the identical safe internet parsing course of out there in PowerShell 7.

PowerShell will provide you with a warning that, with out precautions, scripts contained in internet pages downloaded utilizing the “Invoke-WebRequest’ cmdlet might execute in your system. By default, should you press ‘Enter’ or choose ‘No,’ the operation will likely be canceled, and PowerShell will counsel rerunning the command with the ‘-UseBasicParsing’ parameter for safer processing.

When selecting ‘Sure,’ PowerShell will parse the web page utilizing the older technique (full HTML parsing), permitting the content material and embedded scripts to load as earlier than. Briefly, deciding on ‘Sure ‘means you settle for the danger, whereas selecting ‘No’ stops the motion to guard your system.

“Home windows PowerShell 5.1 now shows a security affirmation immediate when utilizing the Invoke-WebRequest command to fetch internet pages with out particular parameters,” Microsoft explains in a Tuesday advisory.

“This immediate warns that scripts within the web page might run throughout parsing and advises utilizing the safer -UseBasicParsing parameter to keep away from any script execution. Customers should select to proceed or cancel the operation.”

After you put in the KB5074204 replace, IT admins will see the next affirmation immediate warning of script code execution dangers:

Safety Warning: Script Execution Danger
Invoke-WebRequest parses the content material of the online web page. Script code within the internet web page may be run when the web page is parsed.
      RECOMMENDED ACTION:
      Use the -UseBasicParsing swap to keep away from script code execution.
      Do you need to proceed?
			```
 
For added particulars, see [KB5074596: PowerShell 5.1: Preventing script execution from web content](https://assist.microsoft.com/assist/5072034).

To keep away from having their automation scripts hold till guide affirmation, admins are suggested to replace their scripts to make use of the UseBasicParsing secure parameter explicitly.

It is also necessary to notice that in PowerShell, the ‘curl’ command is aliased to the Invoke-WebRequest cmdlet, so additionally, you will see these new warnings when operating scripts invoking curl instructions.

“Most PowerShell scripts and instructions that use the Invoke-WebRequest command will proceed to work with little or no modification,” Microsoft famous.

“For instance, scripts that solely obtain content material or work with the response physique as textual content or knowledge should not affected and require no adjustments.”